Christian Encarnacion-Strand had a great game, driving in four runs to help the Cincinnati Reds win 11-4 against the Chicago White Sox on Sunday, completing a sweep of the three-game series.
Chicago’s record is now 2-13, which is the worst start they’ve ever had in their long history of 124 years. They struggled to hit in this series, getting only 14 hits and scoring the fewest runs in the Major League with just 34.
“We need to relax and enjoy playing baseball,” said Chicago manager Pedro Grifol. “We can’t carry all the pressure individually. We need to work together as a team to fix this.”
Encarnacion-Strand and Nick Martini both hit two home runs for the Reds, who have started the season 9-6, their best in three years. This isn’t the first time Encarnacion-Strand has had a big game like this—he also drove in four runs against Pittsburgh last September. So far this season, Encarnacion-Strand is batting .185 with two home runs.
Martini also contributed with three RBIs for Cincinnati, who dominated Chicago in scoring, totaling 27 runs compared to Chicago’s 5 in the entire series.
“We’ve been hitting well lately,” said Martini, who grew up in the suburbs of Chicago. “We’re feeling confident as we continue this road trip.”
Cincinnati’s Elly De La Cruz’s streak of reaching base in 19 consecutive games came to an end as he went 0 for 5 with two strikeouts. Graham Ashcraft pitched well for the Reds, striking out eight batters in 5 2/3 innings while giving up only two runs and five hits.
“Today was a great start, and we performed well in all aspects—offense, base running, and defense,” said Reds manager David Bell.
Michael Soroka struggled for the White Sox, giving up five runs, five hits, and six walks in 4 2/3 innings, causing his ERA to rise to 6.98. “Too many walks hurt us,” Grifol admitted. “Falling behind in the count was also a problem.”
Encarnacion-Strand hit a home run and Jeimer Candelario added a two-run single for Cincinnati, giving them a 4-0 lead in the third inning.
